If you’re anywhere on “booktok,” you might have seen Stacey McEwan (@stacebookspace) talking about all things books, whether it’s reviewing others’ or sharing her own. You also might have seen her newest, and arguably best, series: “Off to turn my husband into a fictional character.” If you haven’t, watch it now. If you haven’t seen it and you devour romance novels the way I do, seriously, go watch it now.
Obviously, love interests in books are often not that similar to real-life people. It makes sense — book love interests are often written by women and real-life people were written by someone who just wanted to have a good laugh. Stacey is doing what we all wish we could do: turn our real-life significant others into our book boyfriends. Stacey’s husband, Michael, is the participating victim. He’s hilarious. Though I would assume that he has read her writing, he isn’t quite as versed in the world of fictional men, so his commentary is laugh out loud funny.
There are currently twelve parts to this series but I’m checking daily for more. So far, Stacey has taught Michael the “only one bed” trope, how to tend to her wounds (Michael is initially confused about how he’s supposed to help her with her “wounds” and simultaneously gaze intently into her eyes), how to gaze with “odd fascination” at her across the room, and many more of our favorite book boyfriend actions. It’s creative, it’s funny, and honestly, kind of relatable. Wouldn’t we all like to be on the receiving end of the “who did this to you?” plotline?
There’s also just something about Stacey and Michael’s exchanges and chemistry that make her videos so fun to watch. They have great banter and she honestly explains these tropes so well that it’s no surprise she’s a writer. I’ve watched a lot of her other videos and they’re just as fun and witty, but turning Michael into a fictional character really takes the cake. Can I be her when I grow up?